


The Magus

by harrietpotter



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Time Lord Clara Oswin Oswald
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23518885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrietpotter/pseuds/harrietpotter
Summary: Merlin is reborn as a time lord.
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald, Eleventh Doctor/Merlin (Merlin)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

He felt in his bones, a year after Camelot fell to the Saxons. It was a tingling feeling, and somehow he knew that this was the end. So Merlin, sat down on a broken old chair, and pulled out a book from the selection he had managed to save from Camelot. Merlin sighed out a deep breath as he smiled sadly at the memories of Arthur, Gwen and the knights. Even Morgana was dearly missed before she fell into madness. As Merlin took his last breath and the world fell away his hands falling limp at his sides, book in his lap, he thought to himself that wished he had more time. 

With a jolt he-she? shot awake her joints and bones freshly young again as she sucked in a breath.

"What-?" She attempted to speak before freezing, clearing her throat and trying again. She froze as she looked down at her body. She was a girl! Well, Arthur always did say she was, but she didn't think it was literal, she thought before choking back a laugh. She shot out of her chair, stumbling at her new height before rushing over to her book collection.

"Time to find out what happened!" She muttered excitedly to herself. Merlin always did enjoy a mystery. She supposed she ought to think of a more feminine name, she couldn't be bothered at the moment. 

For the next few hours while she became accustomed to her new body, and faster brain, She found a entire selection of books she saved from Camelot, that she previously couldn't read, with it's confusing circular symbols. Reading through them with her new comprehension proved very enlightening. Apparently her father wasn't just a dragon lord, he was also a Time Lord. These books were written by him and someone called the Engineer. It was entirely fascinating to discover that magic was just humans learning to use the time energy that had infected earth during the medieval period, or as she discovered, her time. The humans learned to harness the energy through a variation of a species called the Carrionites, language. They theorized that if a singular time lord was born near a large source of time energy then that time energy would be drawn toward the time lord as long as the time lord was closest to it. So her birth basically created the downfall of 'magic' seeing as she was constantly absorbing the time energy that made it possible. and she learned all that from only one book. The next one was a particularly large tome that was larger on the inside than the outside witch was an encyclopedia on aliens, their languages, cultures etc. The last three were mostly on modern time lord history and technology. Reading through them in a week was pretty easy with her enhanced brain and perfect recall. Encouraged by the history of time lord's she decided to travel the earth and observe until she could reach the stars. 

For five hundred years, Merlin traveled the earth and eventually through magic and technology she created what the time lords called a TARDIS. As soon as Merlin created her TARDIS, she left her planet behind and traveled to hundreds of different planets across space and time. Eventually she found her home planet of Gallifrey, where she mostly welcomed with open arms, until she wanted to leave and travel again, and then they shunned her. Disappointed with their lack of creativity she took all her tests and looked into the untempered schism where she was inspired with inventive ideas and large dreams. Finally after graduating and becoming a full Fledged Time Lady at the age of five hundred and twenty, with her new name The Magus, she left her planet and scoured the universe for it's secrets. And just like that one hundred years passed quietly with just her and her unregistered TARDIS. Then one day she woke up and everything in her head was eerily quiet. The sounds of billions of time lord and lady minds had quite suddenly vanished, and for the first time in one hundred years, The Magus felt empty of purpose, and filled with loneliness that fractured her fragile mind. Magus was already on her sixth regeneration when her mind fractured like glass. The emptiness of her mind broke her already fragile psych into pieces. For a year she moved on autopilot, drifting through space and time. She felt broken and she couldn't do a thing about it. Finally she took a gun and shot herself in the head with it, hoping she wouldn't regenerate, but of course hope was nothing in the face of time lord physiology. So for one hundred more years she drifted before finally using the only broken chameleon arch she had left on herself and her formless existence was scattered across time and space. 

  
  
  


Suddenly she wasn't The Magus anymore, she was Clara Oswin Oswald, and she was happy. She always felt a certain emptiness, but she was quite happy with her life. Then quite forcefully, her perfect life was shattered in the best of ways. And suddenly she wasn't just Clara, she was Clara and The Doctor, because for some strange inexplicable reason, he was her world, and she couldn't be Clara without the Doctor. So on Trenzalore when she saw The Doctor, Her Doctor dying, being rewritten, she felt finally for the first time, that she had a purpose, she knew what she had to do. 

"The Dalek Asylum, you said that it was me that saved you, how?" Clara asked suddenly with a dawning realization, "Victorian London, how," She continued, "How could i have been in Victorian London?" Suddenly the realization hit her. This was meant to happen, her whole life, she was born for this. And as The Doctor begged for the pain to stop, she couldn't wait any longer

"I have to go in there!" She suddenly announced.

"Please, please no!" The doctor begged, breathing shallow.

"But this is what I've already done," she realized, "You've already seen me do it. I'm the Impossible Girl, and this is why," She smiled.

"Whatever it is your thinking of doing don't!" River spoke up, trying to stop her.

"If I step in there what happens?" She asked already knowing the answer, and walking towards her death.

"The time winds will tear you into a million pieces. A million versions of you, living and dying all over time and space, like echoes" River explained, trying to discourage her.

"But the echoes could still save the doctor?" Clara retorted.

"But they won't be you. The real you will die. They'll just be copies," River tried again to discourage her.

"But they'll be real enough to save him," Clara smiled, "It's like my mum said. The souffle isn't the souffle, the souffle is the recipe," she cradled the doctors face for what must be the first and last time, "it's the only way to save him, isn't it?" She asked and at River's silence, she knew with a certainty that she'd barely ever had, that these might be some of her last moments as Clara Oswald, soon she'll probably be just echoes.

"The stars are going out. And Jenny and Strax are dead. There must be something we can do," begged Vastra as she entered the room desperately.

"Well, how about that?" she smirked forlornly, "I'm souffle girl after all."

"No, Please," The Doctor begged her, and in any ordinary situation she might have obeyed at his desperate tone of voice, but the Doctor was her world, and if he died so would she.

"If this works, get out of here as fast as you can. And spare me a thought now and then," She smiled absently.

"No, Clara," the Doctor pleaded, but for once she couldn't listen.

"In fact you know what?" Clare turned towards him as she spoke the words she knew would be her last, and tried to convey what she felt for him with her eyes, going by the widening of his eyes, he must've got the message, "Run you clever boy, and remember me," She smiled sadly at him, knowing that if there was anyway she would be happy to die, this would be it. and as she run into his time-stream the last thing she heard was the Doctor, Her Doctor's voice, screaming at her not to go, not to leave him, not to do this.

"No, Clara!" He yelled with a desperation only a dying man could have.

And then suddenly memories she didn't know she had and people she didn't know she'd been filled her brain as she lived thousands of lives at once, hundreds of death, Eleven incarnation, but for it all that mattered was the one doctor. And as these memories flew passed everything went still for a moment before something went horribly, terribly wrong. Suddenly golden energy poured out of what was left of her being, and suddenly all at once, she remembered. She remembered Arthur and Camelot, she remembered Gwen and Morgana, She remembered the knights, she remembered her father and mother, and then she remembered Gallifrey, and a thousand mind in her head going silent, she remembered despair and loneliness and suddenly she didn't want to remember anything. The she felt it on the edge of her consciousness, The Doctor.

  
  
  
  


As Clara fell through the Doctor's time stream, The Doctor was left alone again and broken, his thoughts overriding any background noise.

"We're all restored now, that's all that matters,"

"We're not all restored," the Doctor interuppted sharply.

"You can't go in there. It's your own time stream, for God's sake!" River tried knowing he couldn't hear her.

"I have to get her back," The Doctor said to the silence.

"Of course, but not like this!" River tried only for the doctor to seemingly not hear her.

"But, how?" Questioned Jenny.

"Is she still alive? It killed Doctor Simeon." Vastra wondered.

"Clara's got one advantage over the Great Intelligence," he replied grimly.

"Which is?" Vastra asked.

"Me," He said, knowing what he had to do.

"Doctor please listen to me, at least hear me?!" River tried, desperately to stop him.

"Now if i don't come back, and I might not," the Doctor began.

"Doctor!" River tried.

"Go to the Tardis. The fast return protocols should be on. She'll take you home, then shut herself down," The continued sadly.

"There has to be another way," River walked up to him suddenly angry and worried, "Use the Tardis, use something. Save her, yes, but for God's sake be sensible," She raised her hand to slap some sense into him, but was surprised when he caught her arm.

"How are you even doing that? I'm not really here," River asked, stunned.

"You are always here to me. And I always listen, and I can always see you," he reassured.

"Then why didn't you speak to me," she asked sadly.

"Because I thought it would hurt too much," he confessed.

"I believe I could have coped."

"No," he interrupted that train of thought, "I thought it would hurt me, and I was right." he replied before kissing her one last time.

"Since nobody else in this room can see you, God knows how that looked," he joked before becoming serious, "There is a time to live and a time to sleep. You are an echo, River. Like Clara. Like all of us, in the end. My fault, I know, but you should've faded by now," He confessed, his eyes saying, I'm sorry, I have to go, I love you, but I love Clara too!

"It's hard to leave when you haven't said goodbye," I know.

"Then tell me because I don't know," he paused, trying to come up with the words, "How do I say it?" he settled for, hopelessly. 

"There's only one way I'd accept. If you ever loved me, say it like you're going to come back," I have to believe there's still hope.

"Well then," He stepped back, "See you around Professor River Song." 

"Till the next time, Doctor."This isn't goodbye

"Don't wait up." It just might be.

"Oh there's one more thing," River smiled.

"Isn't there always?" he smiled back.

"I was mentally linked with Clara. If she's really dead, then how can I still be?" River smirked.

"Okay, how?" He tried not to get his hopes up, but there was no denying the hope in his eyes no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"Spoilers," She smiled sadly as she started to disappear, "Goodbye sweetie."

  
  
  
  


Clara was lost in her head as she fell through the time stream finally saving her Doctor. Finally she landed with a thud in the middle of a dark spooky graveyard. 

"Doctor?" She wondered, fearfully, as the ghosts of his fears whispered around her, she finally gave into her fear and yelled out, panicked.

"Doctor!"

Getting no response she felt herself tear up in fear, as she let out a sob, hiding her face in her hands.

"Doctor! Please, please, I don't know where I am!" she sobbed.

Finally a response came almost surrounding her in a warm embrace with it's presence and comfort.

"Clara," The Doctor called out, " You can hear me. I know you can."

"I can't see you," she protested.

"I'm everywhere. You're inside my time stream. Everything around you is me," he reassured.

Suddenly with a flash she remembered his faces as she saw them walk around her.

"I can see you," she finally responded, "All your different faces, they're here."

"Those are my ghosts. My past. Every good day, every bad day," He explained.

Suddenly Clara felt the ground tremble and she fell to the ground.

"What's wrong, what's happening," she asked desperately.

"I'm inside my own time stream. It's collapsing in on itself," the Doctor replied.

"Well, get out then!" Clara panicked.

"Not until I've got you!" he countered.

"I don't even know who I am!" she cried, knowing without a doubt it's truth. She could be Clara, she could also be Oswin, but more than that she felt something was missing, she was forgetting something. Suddenly the Doctor's voice shot her out of her panicked haze.

"You're my Impossible Girl. I'm sending you something. Not from my past, from yours. Look up. Look," And look she did and she saw it, and suddenly she felt those memories didn't matter, she was Clara Oswin Oswald, and nothing would change that. 

"This is you, Clara," the Doctor continued as she watched the leaf float down to her, "Everything you were or will be. Take it. You blew into the world on this leaf. Hold tight. It will take you home," she caught the leaf in her hands and stumbled forward, hoping for some kind of miracle.

"Clara! Clara! Come on. Come on, to me, now!" He called from behind her. She whipped around to follow, but hesitated, "You can do it, I know you can," He encouraged.

"How?" How do I know your real? how do I know this isn't another forgotten memory? 

"Because it's impossible. And you're my Impossible Girl. How many times have you saved me, Clara? Just this once, just for the hell of it, let me save you. You have to trust me, Clara. I'm real. Just one more step," He reassured.

And suddenly, before she knew what was happening, his arms were wrapped her, her's around him. She held tight worried he'd disappear, something in the back of her head told her to enjoy it while it lasts.

"Clara, my Clara," He cried in relief as he kissed her head. Suddenly she felt him stiffen and she slowly turned to where his eyes where locked on a figure.

"Who's that?" she asked, suddenly scared at the fear in the Doctor's eyes.

"Never mind, let's go back," he tried to dismiss.

"But who is he?" she asked again.

"He's me, there's only me here, that's the point." He tried to divert, "Now let's get back!" his voice trembled in fear and regret.

"But I never saw that one. I saw all of you. Eleven faces, all of them you. You're the eleventh Doctor," She tried to reassure herself.

"I said he was me, I never said he was the doctor," he tried to be vague.

"I don't understand," Clara shook her head in confusion

"Look, my name, my real name, that is not the point. The name I chose is the Doctor. The name you choose, it's like, it's like a promise you make. He's the one who broke the promise," he explained quickly. Clara's head swum with something vague as memories she long forgot started to crop up, mostly being suppressed until then. And suddenly face flashed faster than she could see, memories suppressed burst to life and as she fell limp in the Doctor's arms she vaguely remembered his and the other doctor's words. 

"He is my secret," the doctor spoke.

"What I did, I did without choice," a familiar voice spoke.

"I know." the Doctor replied, angrily.

"in the name of peace and sanity," The voice continued.

"But, not in the name of the Doctor," The Doctor spat before everything left her and went dark.


	2. Remember

For the most part the Doctor ignored it, as he dropped Vastra, Jenny and Strax off. For the most part he didn't even realize it was there until his thoughts finally calmed some. When he did, he froze up, his muscles locking in place freezing in hope and fright. He couldn't comprehend it, after all this time, after years and years of hope and losing it, finally after what was supposed to be his final moment, NOW he felt it? A time lord presence in the back of his head humming softly. The presence buzzed curiously in the back of his mind, poking it resulted in feelings of _awehopehappiness._

With a jolt of surprise he realized it was trying to connect to him, intertwining itself telepathically with his own mind, looking for comfort after so long of being alone. His heart gave a hopeful lurch as he reached out trying to find it's location, but failing. He knew that the only way he couldn't track it was if it was in or near a TARDIS as Tardis's have telepathic blocking fields over them so locations couldn't be revealed. He frowned in disappointment before turning back to Clara where she lay in her bed.

Then suddenly it sunk in. He wasn't alone! He wasn't the last! He grinned, giddily, before rushing back to the TARDIS console, trying to track it.

____________________________________________

Clara woke suddenly with a groan of pain, head aching in pain. She sat up slowly taking in her surroundings of her bedroom in the TARDIS. Memories came rushing back quickly and she gasped as her head jolted in pain. She remembered jumping into the Doctor's time-stream, saving the doctor and then nothing. She jumped out of her bed quickly, rushing out of the room in panic

"Doctor!" She called out, panicked. Maybe she failed, maybe the Doctor was gone and he wasn't coming back, maybe-

"Clara!" He called back, ecstatically, as she entered the console room. She let out a sigh of relief at the sight of him back to his usual self.

"What made you so happy?" She smiled teasingly at him.

"TimelordIfoundanotheroneimnotalone!" He shouted back babbling, barely coherent in his excitement.

"Whoa!" She interrupted him, "Slow down, and start again!" 

"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly, "so, I found out that there's another Time Lord, and i'm not alone, now I just have to track the signal!" He grinned ecstatically. She returned the grin at his excitement even as her heart sunk.

"So once you find them, what are you going to do?" She asked, going for nonchalant.

"Well, I was thinking introductions first, but then maybe we could pick them up and they could travel with us," He grinned.

"Us?" she grinned back, inwardly she was doing a dance in her head at not being abandoned.

"Yeah," he froze as if he just thought of something, "That okay?" he asked self consciously.

"Absolutely!" she reassured with a grin. He returned it, and for awhile there was light conversation and back and forth banter.

________________________________________

It was a month later that Clara finally argued for a break in the sleep deprived Doctor's search.

"One break won't hurt!" Clara exclaimed, exasperatedly

"Yes it will," the Doctor argued back.

"How?" Clara retorted.

"They could be in trouble or hurt, and what if I don't get there in time and they die, I'll be alone. I don't want to be alone anymore!" His words had been getting progressively louder as his emotion hit their peak. It was silent for a moment as the Doctor closed his eyes.

"Doctor," She smiled wobbly holding back the tears for him, pulling him into a hug, "You are not alone anymore, and as long as I'm alive you won't be, we will find them, and when we do you will never be alone again, but we can't search for them if we're too tired to think straight," She reassured and explained, holding him tight as he returned the hug, she felt their shirts getting wet from the tears they both shed.

"Okay," He breathed out as they separated.

______________________________________________

The next few months of traveling with the doctor were spent half traveling and half searching for the time lord. So far they sadly weren't having any luck, so they finally put it on the back burner knowing they wouldn't get anywhere as they were. As they healed from their visit to Trenzalore they ended up spending they're time together constantly. There was a bit of awkwardness at first seeing as Clara basically confessed on Trenzalore with her mind, but after slowly getting used to the new rhythm, they settled down comfortably. Eventually they got into the habit of almost constant physical contact, holding hands, leaning over each others shoulders, leaning ON each others shoulders, and sometimes accidental cuddling. 

Eventually they separated on earth for a while, with Clara going back to work, and the Doctor out Traveling. Clara ended up with a job as an English teacher working for Coal Hill School. A month after the school year started Clara had just dismissed her class when her coworker, Tom ran in, in a panic.

"Have you been running?" Clara asked curiously.

"Are you okay? There was a call for you at the office, from your doctor," He worried. Clara hid a smile by turning back to erasing her whiteboard. 

"Did he leave an address?" She finally asked, hiding her excitement. Tom handed her the paper with the address on it quickly. She grinned before rushing out of the school in excitement. She hopped on her motorcycle with a grin and rode off to the address. Once the Tardis was in sight she sped up and rolled through as the doors opened for her entrance.

"Draft!" The Doctor called out to her from his place on the steps of the TARDIS Console. She snapped her fingers and the TARDIS door shut with a slam. He shut his book with a slam before calling out to her, "Fancy a week in ancient Mesopotamia followed by future Mars?" He questioned with a grin as he stood to greet her.

"Will there be cocktails?" She asked back, mock-serious.

"On the moon," He countered.

"The moon'll do," she smirked before she broke out into a grin matching his and ran forward to embrace him. She hung on to him tightly, afraid he'd disappear as she laughed freely with him. 

"How's the new job? Teach anything good?" He questioned.

"No," she answered, "Learn anything?" she asked back.

"Not a thing!" he chuckled. They laughed before raising their hands to slam into each other's. Suddenly the Tardis started moving and alerts appeared on the screens surrounding them.

"What's happening?" asked Clara, curiously.

"Whoa, whoa. We're taking off, but the engines aren't going," The Doctor responded, confused. As they moved the Doctor rushed to the door and pulled out the phone, calling someone. Clara waited for half a second to see if he'd come back before following, and coming just in time to catch his feet as he fell out 

"-would it kill you to knock?!" He yelled out over the sound of the helicopter above. Clara almost snorted. Before long they were on the ground in front of the Trafalgar Square.

"Attention!" one of the men yelled out to the rest, saluting at them. The doctor saluting back before muttering, "Why am I saluting?" and lowering his hand.

"Doctor, as Chief Scientific Officer, may I extend the official apologies of UNIT," A woman with a blonde bob apologized.

"Kate Lethbridge Stewart, a word to the wise. As I'm sure your father would have told you, I don't like being picked up," he said to her

"That probably sounded better in his head," Clara replied promptly, wanting to make sure there weren't any misunderstandings.

"I'm acting on instructions direct from the throne. Sealed orders from her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the First," Stewart explained as she handed the Doctor a letter.

"The Queen? The First? Sorry, Elizabeth the First?" Clara wanted to clarify.

"Her credentials are inside," Stewart elaborated, before stopping the Doctor from opening the letter and explaining, "No, Inside," She said, pointing to the national gallery.

"Nice scarf," The Doctor commented to the woman by Stewart's side, who was wearing a multicolored scarf before walking towards the gallery. Clara suppressed a snort as she followed him, of course he would think so wouldn't he.

"Did you know her, Elizabeth the First?" Clara asked Curiously

"Unified Intelligence Task Force," was his response

"Sorry?" She asked.

"This lot. UNIT. They investigate alien stuff. Anything alien," he explained.

"What, like you?" she wondered

"I work for them," The Doctor said.

"You have a job?" Clara asked incredulously as they walked.

"Why shouldn't I have a job? I'd be brilliant at having a job," The Doctor defended.

"You don't have a job," Clara deadpanned.

"I do. This is my job. I'm doing it now," He tried to retort.

"You never have a job," Clara snorted

"I do. I do," he argued

Finally they came to a painting covered in a sheet which was promptly removed. 

"Elizabeth's credentials, Doctor," Stewart revealed. Clara practically gaped at the sight of a 3D painting.

"But, but that's not possible," She muttered, shocked.

"No more," The Doctor murmured beneath his breath.

"That's the title," Stewart confirmed.

"I know the title," he snapped harshly.

"Also known as Gallifrey Falls," Stewart continued on.

"This painting doesn't belong here, not in this time or place," the Doctor said grimly.

"Obviously," Clara muttered back.

"It's the fall of Arcadia, Gallifrey's second city," The Doctor explained.

"But how is it doing that? How is that possible? It's an oil painting in 3D," Clara wondered, stunned.

"Time Lord art. Bigger on the inside. A slice of real time, frozen," The Doctor explained in a murmur. 

"Elizabeth told us where to find it, and its significance," Stewart explained, somewhat urgently. Clara could see the look on his face and subtly offered him her hand which he accepted, she squeezed in reassurance.

"You okay?" she asked, almost wincing at the stupid question, luckily he ignored it.

"He was there," He murmured to himself.

"Who was?" Clara asked confused.

"Me. The other me. The one I don't talk about," The Doctor replied, almost in a trance of memories.

"I've had many faces, many lives. I don't admit to all of them. There's one life I've tried very hard to forget. He was the Doctor who fought in the Time War, and that was the day he did it. The day I did it. The day he killed them all. The last day of the Time War. The war to end all wars between my people and the Daleks. And in that battle there was a man with more blood on his hands than any other, a man who would commit a crime that would silence the universe. And that man was me," He finished with raw agony hidden carefully in his voice, so Clara was the only one who 

"But the Time War's over. Why have you brought us here to look at a painting?" She demanded, almost irrationally angry over this woman who better have a good reason for bringing this up.

"The painting only serves as Elizabeth's credentials, proof that the letter is from her. It's not why you're here," Stewart explained before pointedly looking at the letter. The doctor opened it quickly before reading it quickly before turning to Stewart urgently

"What happened?" he demanded. 

"Easier to show you," Stewart motioned for them to follow before walking away.

"Elizabeth the First. You knew her, then?" Clara questioned as they walked.

"A long time ago," The Doctor answered vaguely. They continued on before finally coming to a secret door in a painting of the Tenth Doctor and Queen Elizabeth. 

"Welcome to the Under Gallery. This is where Elizabeth the First kept all art deemed too dangerous for public consumption," She welcomed as they entered. As they walked forwards in a room full of stone statues covered in sheets, the doctor bent down and picked up some sand from the floor.

"Stone dust," He commented as he let it slip through his fingers.

"Is it important?" Stewart asked, impatiently.

"In twelve hundred years I've never stepped in anything that wasn't," The Doctor retorted, before pointing at the woman behind Stewart, "Oi, you. Are you sciency?" he asked, and Clara wanted to face palm.

"Oh, er, well, er, yes," The woman practically squeaked.

"Got a name?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Good. I've always wanted to meet someone called Yes. Now, I want this stone dust analysed. And I want a report in triplicate, with lots of graphs and diagrams and complicated sums on my desk, tomorrow morning, ASAP, pronto, L O L," he rambled before turning to Clara, who was holding back a laugh, "See? Job. Do I have a desk?" he wondered

"No," Stewart looked like she was done with the Doctor.

"And I want a desk," He ordered

"Get a team. Analyse the stone dust. Inhaler!" Stewart ordered. As they walked further into the gallery the Doctor spotted a fez, and discreetly removed it from it's container, put it on his head, and showed off to Clara. 

"Someday, you could just walk past a fez," Clara sweat dropped.

"Never gonna happen," The Doctor replied, cheerfully. Finally they entered a room with multiple 3D paintings and broken glass on the floor.

"As you instructed, nothing has been touched," A scientist spoke to Stewart.

"This is why we called you in," Stewart explained.

"3D again," Clara commented, half jokingly, half worriedly.

"Interesting," The Doctor murmured.

"The broken glass?" Clara asked, curiously

"No, where it's broken from. Look at the shatter pattern. The glass on all these paintings has been broken from the inside," he explained.

"As you can see, all the paintings are landscapes. No figures of any kind," Stewart continued.

"So?" The Doctor questioned.

"There used to be," Stewart explained, quietly, before handing him a tablet with an image of a figure on it.

"Something's got out the paintings," Clara whispered, suddenly feeling the room was too eery and cold.

"Lots of somethings. Dangerous," he muttered

"This whole place has been searched. There's nothing here that shouldn't be, and nothing's got out," Stewart briefed. Suddenly a giant white tunnel like portal appeared in the corner of the room.

"Oh no, not now," The Doctor complained.

"Doctor, what is it?" Clara asked, impatiently

"No, not now. I'm busy," groaned at the portal.

"Is it to do with the paintings?" Stewart asked.

"No, no. This is different. I remember this. Almost remember," The Doctor half explained, before grinning at Clara in excitement, "Oh, of course. This is where I come in," he grinned before he suddenly threw the 'fez into the portal.

"Geronimo!" The doctor ran towards the portal with a yell.

"Doctor!" Clara tried to stop him, but is pulled back by Stewart.

"Wait!" she said.

Clara stopped at Stewart's words before waiting to see if she could hear him on the other side. She could hear voices the closer she came and as the she cautiously stepped close enough to hear, she heard the finishing of a rather disturbing conversation.

"Well, won't that be nice?" a familiar voice spoke.

"One of those was a Zygon," The Doctor exclaimed.

"Yeah," The familiar voice agreed

"Big red rubbery thing covered in suckers," The Doctor pointed out.

"Yeah," The voice responded.

"Venom sacs in the tongue," The Doctor deadpanned

"Yeah, I'm getting the point, thank you," the voice snapped.

"Nice." Finally desiring to get that whole conversation out of her head she spoke up, "Doctor, is that you?" She called out.

"Ah, hello Clara, can you hear me?" he asked, cheerfully.

"Yeah, it's me. We can hear you. Where are you?" Clara questioned back.

"Where are we?" He asked the voice.

"England, 1562," the voice responded

"Who are you talking to?" wondered Clara

"Myself," They both responded. That was why the voice was so familiar, he's the tenth, she thought.

"Can you come back through?" Stewart questioned.

"Physical passage may not be possible in both directions. Its. Ah! Hang on. Fez incoming!" there was a sound of something being thrown before silence.

"Nothing here," Clara said in confusion.

"So where did it go?" wondered the Tenth.

"Keep him talking," Stewart ordered as she left the room.

As the conversation went on, another voice eventually joining them, that was a third Doctor.

"I think there's three of them now," Clara explained to Stewart, once she returned.

"There's a precedent for that," Stewart deadpanned. There was a pause filled with murmuring voices before one voice got louder.

"Yes, yes, yes. Witchy witchcraft. Hello? Hello in there. Excuse me. Hello!" The Doctor greeted her.

"Am I talking to the wicked witch of the well?" He questioned.

"He means you," explained Stewart.

"Why am I the witch," Clara complained quietly before speaking up when the Doctor called her name, "Hello?"

"Clara, hi, hello. Hello. Would you mind telling these prattling mortals to get themselves begone?" The Doctor requested.

"What he said," she agreed.

"Yes, tiny bit more color," he requested quietly.

"Right. Prattling mortals, off you pop, or I'll turn you all into frogs!" She called out awkwardly.

"Ooo, frogs. Nice. You heard her," you could hear the grin in the Doctor's voice.

"Doctor, what's going on?" she interrogated.

"It's a timey wimey thing," was all he said before it trailed off into mutters as he walked farther away from the Time Portal. The next thing she heard was him speaking purposely loudly.

"Did you say the Tower? Ah, yes, brilliant. Love the Tower," He called out, "Breakfast at eight, will there be Wi-Fi?" The Doctor hinted. Clara couldn't hear the rest of it, but she got the hint.

"Dear god, that man's clever, come on," Stewart ordered.

"Where are we going?" Clara asked, already knowing the answer.

"My office, otherwise known as the Tower of London," She responded promptly.

_____________________________

"The Doctor will be trying to send us a message. We're looking for a string of numerals from around 1550, approximately. Priority One. I'm going to need access to the Black Archive," Stewart demanded to the other side of her phone as they drove to the Tower of London. They entered the Tower quickly before heading down to where the Black Archive was.

"The Black Archive. Highest security rating on the planet. The entire staff have their memories wiped at the end of every shift. Automated memory filters in the ceiling. Access, please," Stewart explained before turning to the guard.

"Ma'am," The guard acknowledged as she handed him her key.

"Atkins, isn't it?" Stewart asked him.

"Yes, ma'am. First day here," Atkins smiled shyly.

"Been here ten years," Stewart whispered to Clara slyly. Clara held back her disgust at the thought of what happened to this poor man's family for him to be here for ten years.

"Lock and key? Bit basic, isn't it?" Clara wondered as they entered.

"Can't afford electronic security down here. Got to keep the Doctor out. The whole of the Tower is Tardis-proofed. He really wouldn't approve of the collection," Stewart snorted. Clara held back her snarled retort about maybe being there was a reason for that.

"But you let me in," She said instead.

"You have a top level security rating from your last visit," Stewart explained

"Sorry, my what?" Clara asked, shocked at the fact that they'd erased her own memory, knowing she really shouldn't be.

"Apologies. We have to screen all his known associates. We can't have information about the Doctor and the Tardis falling into the wrong hands. The consequences could be disastrous," Stewart explained. Clara barely refrained from throttling the woman right there. The Doctor isn't an idiot and he's a great judge of character.

"What is that?" Clara asked as they came to a watch-like device trapped in a glass room.

"Time travel. A vortex manipulator bequeathed to the UNIT archive by Captain Jack Harkness on the occasion of his death. Well, one of them. No one can know we have this, not even our allies," Stewart explained firmly.

"Why not?" Clara asked, bewildered.

"Think about it. Americans with the ability to rewrite history? You've seen their movies," Stewart snorted. Clara once again held back shaking some sense into this woman as they walked into the room with the Vortex Manipulator. So because American's are stupid, the rest of their allies must be too? And because one's stupid, everyone, but the UK is too?

"Okay, so this is how we're going to rescue the Doctor," Clara diverted the subject.

"I'm not sure there's enough power for a two-way trip. In any event, we don't have the activation code. The Doctor knows we have this, so he's always kept the code from us. Let's hope he changes his mind," Stewart practically whined before her phone rang, and she was distracted by the conversation.

"Yes? Well, if you've found it, photograph it and send it to my phone," She spoke before hanging up and placing her phone down on the pedestal. Clara noticed The scarf lady and the scientist both in the room.

"Er, Kate? Should they be here? Why have they followed us?" Clara wondered, suddenly cautious.

"Oh, they've probably just finished disposing of the humans a bit early," Stewart replied.

"The humans?" Clara asked in realization as she backed up a little.

"Dear me. I really do get into character, don't I?" Stewart smirked before suddenly she spit venom from her mouth at Clara, who backed up to avoid it. Clara watched as Stewart slowly transformed into what she assumed from The Doctor's disturbing description was a Zygon.

"The Under Gallery is secured," The Scarf girl stated, distracting the Zygon for a moment and letting Clara steal the phone with the activation code on it.

"Prepare to dispose of one more human. We have acquired the device," The Zygon rasped. Clara quickly typed in the code before turning to look up at the Zygon who suddenly noticed her.

"Activation code, right?" She taunted, before pressing enter on the device and disappearing making the Zygon snarl and lunge.

When she reappeared, she was in a hallway by where she assumed the door to where the Doctors were in. Lunging for the door at the sound of faraway footsteps, she was surprised when it shot open, and she stumbled at the overreach, before steadying herself and turning to the three doctors. The only one she hadn't met, next to her, and the other two side by side across from her.

"How did you do that?" questioned her Doctor, incredulously.

"It wasn't locked," Clara commented.

"Right," all three Doctors looked like they were seriously regretting all their life choices right about now.

"So, they're both you then, yeah?" Clara asked, curiously looking at the other two in the room.

"Yes. You've met them before. Don't you remember?" The Doctor asked curiously.

"A bit," She lied before changing the subject, "Nice suit," She complimented the Tenth.

"Thanks," The Tenth acknowledged.

"Hang on. Three of you in one cell, and none of you thought to try the door?" Clara questioned incredulously suddenly realizing their situation

"It should have been locked," The Secret Doctor pointed out, confused.

"Yes. Exactly. Why wasn't it locked?" The Doctor wondered, suspiciously.

"Because I was fascinated to see what you would do upon escaping. I understand you're rather fond of this world. It's time I think you saw what's going to happen to it," Queen Elizabeth the First's voice spoke from behind them.

______________________________

"The Zygons lost their own world. It burnt in the first days of the Time War. A new home is required," Zygon-Elizabeth explained as they walked out onto a balcony covering a room filled with Zygons

"So they want this one," Clara stated rather than asked.

"Not yet. It's far too primitive. Zygons are used to a certain level of comfort," Zygon-Elizabeth elaborated.

"Commander, why are these creatures here?" A Zygon questioned from his place by the doorway.

"Because I say they should be. It is time you too were translated. Observe this. I believe you will find it fascinating," Zygon-Elizabeth stated, humorously. The Zygon placed his hand on a glass cube-shaped machine thingy, before he disappeared and reappeared in a painting.

"That's him! That's the Zygon in the picture now," Clara pointed out in awe and terror.

"It's not a picture, it's a stasis cube. Time Lord art. Frozen instants in time, bigger on the inside, but could be deployed as-" The Secret Doctor started to explain

"Suspended animation. Oh, that's very good. The Zygons all pop inside the pictures, wait a few centuries till the planet's a bit more interesting, and then out they come," The Tenth realized.

"You see, Clara, they're stored in the paintings in the Under Gallery, like cup-a-soups. Except you add time, if you can picture that. Nobody could picture that. Forget I said cup-a-soups," The Doctor mentioned before retracting.

"And now the world is worth conquering. So the Zygons are invading the future from the past," Clara realized.

"Exactly," The Doctor confirmed.

"And do you know why I know that you're a fake? Because you're such a bad copy. It's not just the smell, or the unconvincing hair, or the atrocious teeth, or the eyes just a bit too close together, or the breath that could stun a horse. It's because my Elizabeth, the real Elizabeth, would never be stupid enough to reveal her own plan. Honestly, why would you do that?" The Tenth insulted, trying to press for details, which ultimately failed when Zygon-Elizabeth turned out to be just Elizabeth.

"Because it's not my plan. And I am the real Elizabeth," Elizabeth deadpanned.

"Okay. So, backtracking a moment just to lend context to my earlier remarks," The Tenth tried to backtrack, confused.

"My twin is dead in the forest. I am accustomed to taking precautions," Elizabeth smirked as she took out a dagger from beneath her dress, "These Zygon creatures never even considered that it was me who survived rather than their own commander. The arrogance that typifies their kind," Elizabeth scoffed.

"Zygons?" Clara asked, surprised.

"Men," Elizabeth corrected which made Clara hold back a snort.

"And you actually killed one of them?" Clara questioned curiously.

"I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but at the time, so did the Zygon. The future of my kingdom is imperiled," She defended before turning to the Tenth, "Doctor, can I rely on your service?"

"Well, I'm going to need my Tardis," The Tenth tried to delay.

"It has been procured already," She shot that down quickly.

"Ah."

"But first, my love, you have a promise to keep," Elizabeth smirked.

________________________________

After running from the Tenth's wedding they finally got to the Tardis.

"Right then, back to the future," The Doctor spoke as they entered the Tardis.

"You've let this place go a bit," The Secret Doctor wondered aloud, as he examined the Tenth's Tardis.

"Ah, it's his grunge phase. He grows out of it," The Doctor reassured, jokingly.

"Don't you listen to them," The Tenth cooed at the Tardis before getting shocked by the Tardis as it changed into a different TARDIS.

"Ow! The desktop is glitching," The Tenth commented, nursing his hand.

"Three of us from different time zones. It's trying to compensate," The Secret Doctor realized.

"Hey, look. The round things," The Doctor to the white circles on the walls.

"I love the round things," The Tenth reminisced.

"What are the round things?" The Doctor wondered.

"No idea," The Tenth realized.

"Oh dear, the friction contrafibulator. Ha! There, stabilized," The Doctor grinned as the Tardis changed back to what she was used to.

"Oh, you've redecorated," The Tenth commented, "I don't like it," he admitted.

"Oh. Oh yeah? Oh, you never do," The Doctor groaned, "Listen, we're going to the National Gallery. The Zygons are underneath it," The Doctor started to talk, but was interrupted by Clara.

"No, UNIT HQ. They followed us there in the Black Archive," Clara explained, before she stopped at the three stares she received.

"Okay, so you've heard of that, then," She said, awkwardly.

_______________________________________

Eventually that led her and the Three Doctor's to entering the Archive and stopping the invasion and bomb by temporarily erasing everyone, but the Three Doctors and Clara's memories. She sat by the Secret Doctor seeing his grieving and sad face, she introduced herself.

"Hello," She greeted.

"Hello," He responded.

"I'm Clara. We haven't really met yet," Clara smiled awkwardly.

"I look forward to it," He smiled back, and suddenly she saw the problem in his eyes, "Is there a problem?" he wondered, curious at her silence

"The Doctor," She began, "my, my Doctor, he's always talking about the day he did it. The day he wiped out the Time Lords to stop the war," She started.

"One would," The Warrior agreed dryly.

"You wouldn't. Because you haven't done it yet. It's still in your future," Clara said with certainty

"You're very sure of yourself," The Warrior commented, attempting to divert the topic.

"He regrets it. I see it in his eyes every day. He'd do anything to change it," She commented, sadly.

"Including saving all these people. How many worlds has his regret saved, do you think? Look over there. Humans and Zygons working together in peace," He commented passionately with a smile, before wondering, "How did you know?"

"Your eyes. You're so much younger," She smiled sadly at him.

"Then, all things considered, it's time I grew up. I've seen all I needed. The moment has come," He said quietly

"I'm ready," He said loudly to someone behind Clara, causing Clara to turn around.

"Who's there? Who were you talking to?" Right as she turned around he was gone.

  
Clara ran back to the two Doctor's in a desperate hurry, needing to tell him, she barged into their conversation hurriedly.

"He hasn't done it yet!" She announced to them.

"Who hasn't done what yet?" The Doctor asked her, concerned, noticing her pale complexition, and the way she fiddled with something in her pocket nervously.

"The Other Doctor, he hasn't done it yet!" She told them urgently, causing both of them to run to the TARDIS, urgently as she followed hot on their heels. The Trip was spent in panicked silence.

"I told you, he hasn't done it yet," Clara spoke as they stepped from the TARDIS's.

"Go away now, all of you," The Warrior said sadly, "This is for me," He spoke.

"These events should be time-locked. We shouldn't even be here," The Tenth commented, idly.

"So something let us through," The Doctor finished.

"Go back. Go back to your lives. Go and be the Doctor that I could never be. Make it worthwhile," The Warrior encouraged.

"All those years, burying you in my memory," The Tenth began.

"Pretending you didn't exist," The Doctor continued, "Keeping you a secret, even from myself."

"Pretending you weren't the Doctor, when you were the Doctor more than anybody else," The Tenth stated sadly.

"You were the Doctor on the day it wasn't possible to get it right," The Doctor finished for him.

"But this time," The Tenth began, placing his hand on the Red button in the center of the device.

"You don't have to do it alone," The Doctor finished, placing his hand on top of the others.

"Thank you," The Warrior thanked, solemnly.

"What we do today is not out of fear or hatred. It is done because there is no other way," The Tenth spoke.

"And it is done in the name of the many live we are failing to save," The Doctor finished, sadly. Clara couldn't watch this, she couldn't watch her Doctor's destroying their home, killing those people, she shook her head sadly, feeling a buzz in the back of it.

"What? What is it? What?" The Doctor asked her, noticing her tears.

"Nothing," Clara denied.

"No, it's something. Tell me," He demanded, gently.

"You told me you wiped out your own people. I just. I never pictured you doing it, that's all," She smiled sadly. Suddenly the room went dark, and war, chaos, and death appeared all around them

"What's happening?" Clara wondered voice shaking, her mind for once going quiet.

"Nothing. It's a projection," The Warrior, reassured sadly. Suddenly it dawned on her what she was seeing.

"These are the people you're going to burn?" Clara cried, incredulous

"There isn't anything we can do," The Tenth stated, sadly. Clara turned to the Doctor hopeful, only to be let down with his next words.

"He's right. There isn't another way. There never was. Either I destroy my own people or let the universe burn," He stated, resigned

"Look at you. The three of you," She spoke, turning to The War Doctor, "The warrior," she said before she turned to the Tenth, "the hero," she spoke before finally turning to her Doctor, " and you," She smiled at him sadly.

"And what am I?" Her Doctor asked, suddenly Vulnerable.

"Have you really forgotten?" she questioned, sadly.

"Yes. Maybe, yes," he admitted.

"We've got enough warriors. Any old idiot can be a hero," Clara stated with a sad smile.

"Then what do I do?" He whispered, resigned.

"What you've always done. Be a doctor," she smiled, tears falling,"You told me the name you chose was a promise. What was the promise?" she asked.

"Never cruel or cowardly," The Tenth stated.

"Never give up, never give in," The warrior finished with newfound hope.

"You're not actually suggesting that we change our own personal history?" The Tenth asked, stunned.

"We change history all the time. I'm suggesting far worse," Her Doctor admitted.

"What, exactly?" The warrior asked, curiously.

"Gentlemen, I have had four hundred years to think about this," The Doctor stated suddenly, making Clara grin at his tone of voice, "I've changed my mind," he smirked, before using his sonic screwdriver on the device, making it deactivate.

"There's still a billion billion Daleks up there, attacking," The Warrior pointed out.

"Yeah, there is. There is," The Doctor grinned

"But there's something those billion billion Daleks don't know," The Tenth stated in realization.

"Because if they did, they'd probably send for reinforcements," The Doctor continued on.

"What? What don't they know?" Clara asked, impatient.

"This time, there's three of us," Her Doctor smirked.

"Oh! Oh, yes, that is good. That is brilliant!" The Warrior complimented, astonished.

"Oh, oh, oh, I'm getting that too! That is brilliant!" The Tenth cried excitedly, as he patted the outside of his Tardis in his excitement.

" Ha, ha, ha! I've been thinking about it for centuries," Her Doctor cried, ecstatic as he struck a pose.

"She didn't just show me any old future, she showed me exactly the future I needed to see!" The Warrior spoke in realization as everyone stared in confusion at him.

"Eh? Who did?" The Doctor asked, confused.

"Oh, Bad Wolf girl, I could kiss you," The Warrior continued on, ignoring them.

"Sorry, did you just say Bad Wolf?" The Tenth wondered, awed.

"So what are we doing? What's the plan?" Clara stated, getting them back on track.

"The Dalek fleets are surrounding Gallifrey, firing on it constantly," The Warrior started to explain

"The Sky Trench is holding, but what if the whole planet just disappeared?" The Tenth continued with a grin.

"Tiny bit of an ask," Clara commented, curiously

"The Daleks would be firing on each other. They'd destroy themselves in their own crossfire," The Tenth explained.

"Gallifrey would be gone, the Daleks would be destroyed, and it would look to the rest of the universe as if they'd annihilated each other," The Warrior said, in excitement.

"But where would Gallifrey be?" Clara pressed

"Frozen. Frozen in an instant of time, safe and hidden away," The Tenth grinned.

"Exactly!" The Doctor smiled.

"Like a painting," The Warrior finished.

Oh, oh that is good!


End file.
